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What causes panic attacks, and how can you prevent them? - Cindy J. Aaronson

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TEDEd Animation

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Countless poets and writers have tried to put words to the experience of a panic attack— a sensation so overwhelming, many people mistake it for a heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening crisis. Studies suggest that almost a third of us will experience at least one panic attack in our lives. So what exactly is a panic attack, and can we prevent them? Cindy J. Aaronson investigates.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Cindy J. Aaronson
  • Director AIM Creative Studios, Vicente Nirō
  • Narrator Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Storyboard Artist Vicente Nirō
  • Animator André Cunha, Cristina Neto
Avatar for Ellen Lavergne
Lesson completed

Do certain people have a predisposition to panic attacks?

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Avatar for Olivia Jung
Lesson completed

I agree with the other answers, the video explained that people with OCD and PTSD may develop panic attacks, but you do not have to have a predisposition to have a panic attack.


Avatar for Kyra Andresen
Lesson completed

People that are diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder, as well as people diagnosed with OCD are predisposed.


Avatar for Alexis Budyach
Lesson in progress

I believe so. I think it's less of a predisposition to panic attacks and more of a predisposition to the mental illnesses that cause them. Anxiety disorders are genetic, so if a parent has an anxiety disorder, then an individual is more likely to get panic attacks. Panic attacks can also be caused by environmental factors, so people in more stressful situations, such as poverty and abuse, are more predisposed to panic attacks than others.

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